A collective effort is essential to ensuring the long-term success of ESG initiatives

Business Post

03-05-2025

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With growing acceptance of how big a challenge climate change is there's growing realism and optimism about what can be done collectively
With this year seeing seismic shifts in the geopolitical landscape, it made the latest ESG Spring Summit more pertinent than ever before.
The summit, which took place on, April 30, focused on the journey businesses, governments, and society need to take to achieve a low-carbon future.
Summit chair Ivan Yates, entrepreneur and broadcaster, welcomed everyone to the seventh summit, exploring the topic and highlighting the level of expertise in the room, including the 50+ speakers throughout the day.
The day kicked off by setting the scene for sustainability in 2025 with an opening address from Derarca Dennis, partner and sustainability services lead at EY.
She discussed how the link between sustainability and profitability is increasingly influencing corporate strategies, and stressed the importance of embracing it.
'I would say to at least think about having some kind of sustainability report, internal or external, it's to understand what are your targets, what are you measuring, what's driving your business, and what are you going to hold yourself accountable for,' she said.
The international keynote followed and examined the choices governments must make to accelerate the transition to sustainability and turn targets into action.
David Carlin, founder of DA Carlin and Company, delivered a virtual presentation discussing the current international landscape.
He was optimistic that despite the current regression in tackling climate change shown by countries like the US, there were positives, like the record $2 trillion spent on green energy over the last year.
That said, keeping within the 1.5C range of warming, let alone reversing it, is going to be challenging, so the approach needed differs.
Then there was an overview of Ireland's changing climate and how to prepare for it delivered by Keith Lambkin, head of climate services at Met Éireann.
Expanding upon some of Carlin's points, he was clear that net-zero won't restore the globe to its previous climate; it will only stop things from getting worse.
With the scale of the issue set, it was time for the first panel session of the day, looking at Ireland's emission reductions and what needs to be done to meet greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets.
This panel included Ciarán Cuffe, architect, urban planner and MEP for Dublin 2019-2024; Jillian Mahon, member of CCAC and its Adaptation Committee and adviser on sustainable and alternative finance; Les O'Reilly, managed services country lead at HP Ireland; and Maurice Ryan, director of business development at Greenbelt Ltd.
Mahon mentioned the importance of prioritisation and being focused on what we want to achieve on a national scale. Ireland has risen to the challenge before and can do so again.
'In times of crisis, we have tended to do big thinking… because there's such momentum in this country and such innovation.'
The mid-morning sessions shone a spotlight on advancements in ESG regulation, beginning with an overview of the EU Omnibus package on sustainability.
Jill Shaw, ESG and sustainability lead at A&L Goodbody, detailed the package, highlighting the Stop The Clock proposal and addressing misinformation about the proposed threshold.
A panel discussion on CSRD reporting and the best ways to achieve accurate ESG reporting concluded this round of sessions.
Joining Yates on stage was featuring Annabel Fitzgerald, head of sustainability at Energia Group, Jana Platau-Wagner, head of CSRD policies and engagement at Zurich Insurance Group, Joanne Grace, head of ESG governance and reporting at Glanbia plc, and Laura Mora, managing director at Ecoverify.
Mora stressed the importance of measuring and collecting real data to help with decision-making and the importance of action throughout, that even in uncertain situations,'regulations evolve, and the most important element is to reduce the gaps to be sustainable'.
Transitions, circularity, and supply chains
For the late-morning sessions, attendees were split up into three streams, each with their own chair.
Stream one focused on transition planning and was chaired by Meaghan Carmody, senior sustainability adviser for Business in the Community.
After Carmody welcomed everyone, Maria Kelly, director at Skillnet Climate Ready Academy and head of policy at 20FIFTY Partners, delivered the first talk about developing a credible and impactful climate transition plan.
Then there was an investor panel on how financial institutions, investors, and corporations assess the credibility and ambition of transition plans, featuring Aideen O'Hora, co-founder of SustainabilityWorks, and Mihai Diaconescu, ESG analyst at Irish Life Investment Managers.
The final panel discussion of this stream was on making climate transition plans work. It included Lorraine Fitzgerald, head of sustainability at Glenveagh Properties; Patrizia Niehaus, CEO of KINTO Join; Rory Leahy, chief safety and sustainability officer at Bus Éireann; and Susan Breen, sustainability reporting lead at Bank of Ireland Group.
The planet itself is undergoing changes that require mitigation and adaptation
Stream two focused on redefining business models through circularity and was chaired by Geraldine Brennan, head of the circular economy at Irish Manufacturing Research, and circular economy leads at Circuléire.
The keynote kicking off this stream discussed the advantages of circular businesses, and it was delivered by Narina Mnatsakanian, partner and chief impact officer at Regeneration VC in the Netherlands.
Next were case studies on the circular economy in action, where four speakers shared their experiences. The speakers were Colette van Jaarsveld, founding executive director at Arcology System LTD; Mary O'Riordan, founder at HaPPE Earth; Heidi Hooper, operations environmental and sustainability manager at Iarnród Éireann; and Sadhbh Wood, co-founder and CEO at Bean Around.
Finishing up this stream was a panel on unlocking business opportunities and scaling up the circular economy. This featured Alan Wyley, CEO of EnergyCloud; Gillian Kinsella, public policy and government relations manager at Pringles; Janet Lynch, circular economy and resources lead at Arup Europe; Portia Quinn, CEO and founder at Harley & Marley; and Zoe Kavanagh, CEO of Repak.
The third and final stream was on driving the future of sustainable supply chains, chaired by Brian O'Kennedy, managing director at Goodbody Clearstream.
This stream began with a fireside chat discussing the route from ESG to competitive sustainability. Ellie Walshe, head of sustainability at Suir Engineering, chatted with Julia Höglund, managing director of Position Green UK, about the challenges faced.
Next up was a panel discussion on decarbonisation in the supply chain, during which Aoife O'Donnell, head of sustainability at Jones Engineering; Dave O'Shaughnessy, partner and sustainability technology lead at EY; and Owen Stephens, sustainability manager at PJ Hegarty Building Contractors, discussed Scope 3, data, and decarbonisation strategies.
This stream concluded with a panel discussion on the future of sustainable supply chains, chaired by Kate Beahan, sustainability and responsible sourcing manager, Goodbody Clearstream.
She was joined by Bill Doran, head of supply chain at Ei Electronics; Paul O'Donnell, global head of procurement and ESG at Hanley Energy; and Rosana Peixoto Lopes, scientist, strategist, and consultant.
Developing sustainable change
After the lunch break, all attendees reunited in the main room, where Yates greeted them.
The afternoon focused on the skills needed by today's business leaders, starting with a panel discussion on what leadership skills are needed to push sustainable change.
This featured Brian O'Kennedy, managing director at Goodbody Clearstream; Jean Cushin, associate professor of the School of Business in Maynooth University; Marian Curry, senior sustainability adviser at Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI); and Mary Lyons, director of enterprise, employees and skills at Solas, the Further Education and Training Authority (FET).
When asked if there's a problem with older demographics in C-suite and CEO levels understanding why sustainability is important, Lyons mentioned that organisations generally find there are champions who are aware and can bring them forward.
Next up was Geoff Tucker, director of Red C Research and Marketing, who examined consumer expectations and viewpoints on sustainability and what they expect from brands and businesses.
One key point he made is that consumers are not interested in progress reports but want to see action.
'Do consumers want to pay more for sustainability? No, they don't. Sustainability isn't added on, it's built into the product,' he said.
To conclude the day, there was one more panel discussion on business leaders' strategies to build momentum for sustainable change.
Caroline Geoghegan, founder and CEO of CG Business Consulting; Claire MacEvilly, CEO of Airfield Estate; John MacNamara, head of corporate sustainability at Bord na Móna; and Sarah Blake, sustainability consultant at Earthology, participated in this panel.
The topic of B-Corps — a certification that shows organisations meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability — came up.
When quizzed on whether shareholders' views should be prioritised over this when they're taking the biggest risk takers, MacEvilly mentioned that shareholders are the biggest benefactors when things go well.
When asked for her key takeaway from the discussion, Blake kept it simple: 'It's happening whether you like it or not, so get on that train.'
With that wrapped up, Yates brought the summit to a close by giving his concluding remarks saying: 'The important role is providing leadership at this time.'
'Explain that this is about competitiveness and… if Ireland Inc can show it's doing best in class, it will make this country a better place to invest in.'